Chinese nationals are under police investigation after they were caught photographing a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in Busan, South Korea. The carrier participated in the first trilateral military exercise, Freedom Edge, involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
The Busan Police Agency announced today that they are investigating three Chinese men in their 30s and 40s suspected of violating the Military Base and Military Facilities Protection Act.
These individuals allegedly used a drone to film the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), a 100,000-ton vessel, while it was docked at the Busan Operational Command Base in the southern part of the city on June 25.
That same day, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded the Roosevelt. The individuals in question reportedly filmed the carrier for five minutes before military personnel and police nearby apprehended them.
A police official reported that the Chinese individuals claimed to be students studying abroad who filmed the carrier out of curiosity. The official added, “As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot disclose specific details.”